World War Three (TV story)
World War Three 'is the fifth episode of the first series of ''Doctor Who. It was written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Keith Boak and featured Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. Overview To be added Synopsis Downing Street announced mankind's first Interplanetary War. But the real danger is closer to home. The Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones race against time to unmask the villainous Slitheen, but only Rose's boyfriend and mum hold the key to salvation. Can the missiles be stopped? Plot In the meeting room of 10 Downing Street, the disguised alien Prime Minister, Joseph Green and his Slitheen brother trigger the electric charges concealed in the ID badges worn by all the alien experts. While none the experts survive the shock, the Doctor manages to rip the ID tag off his neck and thrusts it into the metal collar of the bare Slitheen, causing feedback that courses through the Slitheen attacking Rose and Harriet and the other attacking Jackie. While they are unable to save Indra Ganesh, Rose and Harriet take the distraction as a chance to run. Back in Rose's flat, Mickey rushes in a pulls Jackie away from the convulsing Slitheen, taking a picture with his phone before they both flee. While the Doctor goes to fetch the police stationed outside, Green manages to pull the rigged ID tag off and disguise the bare Slitheen as Asquith again. As the police don't believe the Doctor's claims, Green and "Asquith" order him to be executed, but he promptly summons a lift and closes it with his sonic screwdriver. Upstairs, Rose and Harriet continue to run from the Blaine Slitheen; they try to return for the Emergency Protocols, but they are blocked off by the Slitheen. They are nearly caught, but the Doctor's sudden arrival in the lift distracts it for long enough for them to hide in another room. Giving orders for Sergeant Price to secure 10 Downing Street and kill the Doctor if he comes downstairs, Green and Asquith head upstairs in the lift and drop the disguises. Joining Blaine in hunting Harriet and Rose, their heightened sense of smell quickly leads them to the ladies. After rescuing them with a fire extinguisher, the Doctor leads them back to the cabinet room and bluffs the Slitheen into explaining themselves. They admit that they are a family on Earth for business, but before they confess the details of their plan, they call the Doctor's bluff and he quickly seals them out with steel bulkheads, though trapping himself, Rose and Harriet inside. Elsewhere, Mickey sneaks Jackie out of the building from her flat, passing the various police patrols stationed outside and heads for his. Outside Downing Street, the reporters watch more unusual people being brought along, who are all Slitheen in disguise, removing their skin suits as soon as they are inside, while Asquith tells Price to organize a public address for Green. Making it back to Mickey's flat, he and Jackie hide while the policeman Slitheen, now disguised again, searches for Jackie. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Rose and Harriet strategize on account of the Emergency Protocols being useless with the experts dead. Rose suggests that they launch a missile at them but Harriet says that the UK is unable to order it with defense codes from the United Nations. Realising the Slitheen are on Earth to make a profit, the Doctor tries to fathom what asset they could sell off from the Earth when Rose recieves a text from Mickey with the picture he took of the Slitheen. Calling him back, the Doctor reluctantly asks him for help and has him hack into UNIT's database. Getting inside, Mickey finds a signal that the Slitheen are projecting into space on a loop; while the Doctor tries to translate it, the policeman Slitheen finds Mickey's flat and starts removing it's skin suit. Unable to get out, Mickey and Jackie stand to defend themselves, while the Doctor, Rose and Harriet brainstorm to try and conclude the Slitheen's planet of origin to find their weakness. After deducing their planet, Raxicoricofallapatorius, the Slitheen breaks into the flat and Jackie and Mickey retreat into the kitchen. The Doctor tells them to gather anything with vinegar; as the Slitheen breaks in, Jackie thrusts the vinegar at it. It's calcium body reacts and it explodes all over her and Mickey, while the Doctor, Rose and Harriet celebrate their success with a drink. Outside, Green makes his public address, announcing that the experts are dead and fabricates a story that an alien battlefleet is hanging above the planet and that the only way to survive is for the UN to give them the access codes to combat them. Watching from his TV, Mickey holds the phone to the screen so the Doctor can hear the broadcast. He surmises that the Slitheen's plan was to create panic across the planet to gain access to the launch codes when they will attack every other global continent and start another world war before selling off the radioactive waste the planet would be reduced to. He responds by opening the bulkheads to warn Blaine and the other Slitheen outside that if they don't leave the planet, he will stop them. Over the course of the night, the UN make arrangements to hand over the access codes. In the cabinet room, the Doctor solemnly proclaims that there only one way out, but, to Jackie's utter chagrin, he can't guarantee that Rose will be safe if he implements it. Despite Jackie's pleas with him not to go through with it, Harriet, the only elected representative present, orders the Doctor to go through with it. Meanwhile, the Slitheen return to Green's office to await the call giving them the nuclear codes. The Doctor has Mickey hack into the Royal Navy and ready the launch of a standard missile. As the UN agrees to release the nuclear codes, Mickey fires the missile and it takes off towards Downing Street. While the Doctor, Rose and Harriet brace themselves for the strike, Sergeant Price's people detect the missile approaching; he goes to warn Green but is scared away by the mass of Slitheen in the room. Evacuating 10 Downing Street and clearing the entire road, the missile strikes the building, destroying the Slitheen and demolishing the entire place. Having survived the destruction, the Doctor and Rose watch as Harriet goes to make a public address to reveal the truth about the situation while the Doctor realises why he recognizes her; she is due to be elected Prime Minister following her role in the crisis. Back at Rose's flat, Jackie and she watch Harriet's address on the TV and Jackie admits that after the events of the previous day, she is willing to take the Doctor at his worth and offers to make dinner. However, he calls Rose from the TARDIS and tells her that he doesn't do domestic dinners and says that she is entirely welcome to stay at home if she chooses. After darkness falls, the Doctor (who has the boy who spray-painted the words "Bad Wolf" on the side of the TARDIS wash it off) presents Mickey with a virus that will destroy every online mention of him as thanks for his assistance. He offers to take Mickey with him, but he declines and admits that he couldn't cope. Complying with his wishes, the Doctor pretends to not allow Mickey with them when Rose asks. Despite Jackie's pleas for her to stay, Rose still insists on continuing her TARDIS travels. She confronts the Doctor that he cannot guarantee her safety, but she promises that she is travelling in a time machine and can have many adventures and return in just ten seconds. After saying her goodbyes, she follows the Doctor into the TARDIS and it dematerialises. After it has disappeared, Jackie looks sadly at her watch as ten seconds pass and she returns to the flat while Mickey continues to wait. Cast * Doctor Who - Christopher Eccleston * Rose Tyler - Billie Piper * Joseph Green - David Verrey * Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri * Harriet Jones - Penelope Wilton * Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke * General Asquith - Rupert Vansittart * Sergeant Price - Morgan Hopkins * Andrew Marr - As himself * Margaret Blaine - Annette Badland * Strickland - Steve Spiers * Reporter - Jack Tarlton * Reporter - Lachele Carl * Spray Painter - Corey Doabe * Slitheen - Elizabeth Fost, Paul Kasey, Alan Ruscoe Crew To be added References To be added Story Notes To be added Continuity To be added Home video and audio releases To be added External Links * Official ''World War Three'' page on '''Doctor Who Website